England's match against the Barbarians this Sunday may offer the majority packed inside Twickenham a bit of light relief at the end of a gruelling season, but one man taking it very seriously is prop Henry Thomas.
The former King Edward's pupil has the chance of a
first appearance for the full national side and believes the Baa-Baas will provide Stuart Lancaster's squad a vital test ahead of their South American tour.
Two days after taking on the Barbarians, England travel to Uruguay and face a CONCSOR XV in Montevideo next Saturday. They then move to Argentina for two Tests against the Pumas.
With regular England tighthead Dan Cole having been called up by the British & Irish Lions, Thomas looks set to fight it out with Bath Rugby's Davey Wilson for a spot in Lancaster's side.
"It might be a one-off match but we aren't going to be taking it easy on Sunday," said the Sale Sharks star.
"We are treating it like another Test week. We have to if we want to be ready for Argentina.
"The Barbarians are a team with a lot of world-class players who can cause us problems, so we can't afford to take it lightly.
"It's also a chance to wear an England shirt at Twickenham, which is something you always dream of doing.
"If I get the opportunity to play I've got to try to capitalise on it to help my chances of getting in the Test team."
Thomas is one of 12 uncapped players who will travel to South America. Bath's Kyle Eastmond is another, while fellow Rec stars Wilson, Dave Attwood and Rob Webber, as well as new recruit Jonathan Joseph, will all be looking to boost their cap count.
Having trained with the England squad during the Six Nations earlier this year, however, the Red Rose experience will not be totally new to Thomas.
"I was there for four weeks during the Six Nations and it was really good," said the 21-year-old. "Getting to know the squad, being involved in that set-up and learning all the routines they like to play was fantastic.
"Hopefully, that can stand me in good stead. I've spoken to Stuart and, with Dan being away, there's a chance at tighthead for someone to get some game time.
"I'm going to be giving my all over the next two weeks to try to impress and hopefully be in a good position when the Tests arrive.
"It's a new squad and a young squad, and there is a lot of excitement around. Not a lot of guys have had this opportunity before and it's a chance to go to play rugby in places you probably wouldn't get otherwise.
"It's going to be a very tough tour. Anyone who thinks going to Argentina will be easy is kidding themselves.
"They are going to be two really tough games and they've proved in the Rugby Championship and against Northern Hemisphere teams they are a match for anyone.
"They've got some outstanding players and are a very physical side, who like to play the game their way. We know we are going to have to be at our best."
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